Special rifles for CoBRA to fight Naxals

Sophisticated assault rifles capable of firing 1,000 rounds per minute, currently used by the Army's Special Forces, have been procured to equip the elite anti-Naxal unit CoBRA.

Official sources said the personnel of Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) are being given Israeli-make Tavor X95 sub-machine guns.

The X95 is the Special Forces' firearm of the next generation. The X95 was developed in close cooperation with elite units and tailored to their specific requirements and needs, Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) claimed.

The CoBRA personnel were first equipped with AK-47s and MP5 guns on a temporary basis.

Sources said the recently procured guns by the government have already been given to the personnel, who are especially trained to fight the menace of left-wing extremism.

As per the company, the X95 incorporates advanced technology that allows inter-changeability from 5.56mm ammunition to 9mm ammunition. This leap in technology allows an individual to use the same weapon platform for a wide array of scenarios.

The interchangeability can be effected with a silencer for all calibers making it useful in complicated situations. IWI is famous for producing 9mm Uzi sub-machine guns.

The 10,000 personnel strong CoBRA unit has been equipped with a wide array of weaponry, many of which are not even used by the CRPF under whose command and control the new force functions.

Among them is the 'khukhri', the dagger symbolising Gorkha valour.

The khukhri, an inseparable weapon of dreaded soldiers of the Indian Army's Gorkha Regiment, will now be sanctioned to CoBRA to provide it a lethal edge in hand-to-hand combat situation.

The Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had in August 2008 sanctioned the setting up of the force.

The CoBRA personnel have been deployed in various Naxal-affected states and are carrying out special operations.